


Petty Jealousy, Social Hierarchies, and Awkward Implications

by Alyas_Alias



Series: Ukitake Juushiro x Onmitsukido!Reader [7]
Category: Bleach
Genre: Bullying, Implied male/male, Other, Reader-Insert, School jealousy, Social Hierarchies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-04
Updated: 2019-11-14
Packaged: 2020-10-07 00:11:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 11,379
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20515823
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alyas_Alias/pseuds/Alyas_Alias
Summary: Exactly what the title says? I don't really know how to summarize this one without spoiling stuff.Set in their academy days soon after [Name] enrolls in the Academy.





	1. Starting a War

**Author's Note:**

> What you need to know:  
-[Name] is a ward of the Ukitake family, officially. She was taken in by Juushiro’s parents (whom I’ve named Lady Chiyo and Lord Mitsuru) to streamline her application to the Shin’o academy when she displayed some spirit energy.  
-She originally lived in Sakahone, either the 76th or 78th district of Eastern Rukon/Rukongai (I went back to the wiki-page I initially got my intel from and it says 78th. The Viz translations say 76th though…so I don’t know). [Name] was the one to guide the Ukitake family to Mimihagi’s shrine when Juushiro was three and stricken with consumption. I headcanon that even though Mimihagi is said to be worshiped as some deity in some parts of Rukon, he/it isn’t actually seen. There’s a reason he/it is a myth. I headcanon that Mimihagi’s true shrine/dwelling is hidden. There may be shrines and whatnot devoted to him all over Rukon, but I believe that Mimihagi himself/itself lives quietly, hidden, away from the general population of Rukon. For this fanfic universe, I imagine that Mimihagi’s true whereabouts/shrine are known by orphaned children for sure, that Mimihagi takes in orphaned children with nowhere else to go—their families falling prey to Hollow attacks and the like. That’s how [Name] knew where Mimihagi’s true shrine/dwelling was.  
-[Name] is up to four years behind Juushiro in the academy and they are very close in age (hard to have a huge age-gap when Juu was 3 when he went to the shrine LOL). This installment takes place only a few days after [Name] enrolls in the academy.

“Good morning, [Name].”

The phrase “wars have been started for less” gets thrown around a lot—especially around lunchtime when students zealously guard their treats and desserts from each other. In the case of the social hierarchy at the academy, there’s no such thing as simple greeting. It may be because most of the students come from nobility, but who greets whom is important; the one in lower social standing always greets their social superiors first. The one in higher standing has no genuine obligation to respond to the greeting in kind or acknowledge it. Social standing comes from a multitude of factors: year of schooling/seniority, grades, family-status, personality, good looks, wealth, and popularity—all just some of the factors of the social hierarchy at Shin’o Academy. Family-status in particular is a major factor. If you’re not from a noble family, you’re going to have a hell of a time fine-tuning your personality or looks to gain popularity.

Ukitake Juushiro comes from a minor noble family (family-status: check); he’s an upperclassman (seniority: check); he’s a star student, catching the eye of Yamamoto Genryusai himself (grades: check); he’s kind, welcoming, and easy on the eyes (personality, popularity, good looks: check, check, check). Whether he’s aware of it or not, Juushiro is royalty in the realm of social hierarchy at Shin’o Academy.

There’s no such thing as a ‘simple’ greeting when it comes to social hierarchies. More specifically, there’s no such thing as a ‘simple’ greeting from the Prince of Shin’o, Ukitake Juushiro. Whether he wants it to happen or not, people are going to read into his every move. They’re going to make meaning out of everything he does; from scratching his nose or calling out a casual greeting to a friend.

Within the tangible and intangible aspects of ‘the academy’ as an institution, wars start over something like a ‘simple’ greeting from Prince Juushiro. Juushiro’s words started a war that day.

Ever since Juushiro greeted [Name] in the halls between classes, the social hierarchy of Shin’o has been abuzz. Guys ask him who the “cute little first year” he acknowledged was, and whether she’s single. Some assume [Name] is one of Juushiro’s sisters and debate whether or not it’s appropriate for them to go out with her. Most aren’t particularly interested in [Name]. They would have passed her by without a second glance, but the fact that Juushiro greeted her first made her suddenly desirable in regards to social standing. She was in Juushiro’s inner circle, on a first-name-basis with the sickly aristocrat. Getting to know her could boost their social standings.

The reaction from the girls was about the same. When they overheard what had happened, some were curious to find out who the lucky girl was, to be greeted by someone with so much natural charisma. Some of them had more ulterior motives. The ‘Prince Juushiro’ fanclub set their sights on the girl that had the audacity to be greeted by the prince, without an honorific no less.

“Who the hell do you think you are?”

“Excuse me?”

“Strutting around in front of Prince—I mean, Ukitake-_senpai_, like that—flaunting your presence in his face so that he’ll have no choice but to greet you! You’re sick!”

[Name] is currently surrounded by three girls. All of them are upperclassmen. It’s only been three days since the beginning of the year; [Name] is still trying to get her bearings of the academy. She was trying to figure out which training grounds she was supposed to head to for _kido _class. 

“Ukitake…_senpai_…?”

“Back off, hussy! Don’t go near Ukitake-_senpai_ anymore or you’ll regret it.”

With that, the three girls turn on their heels and storm off. The lead girl flips her long, dark hair over her shoulder as she walks. [Name] is left alone, blinking dumbfoundedly at what just happened. She was cornered by the three girls after coming out of a lecture. It’s been three days, she wonders if she’s supposed to know who the girls are or who anyone else at the academy is. The Seireitei is a strange place, indeed.


	2. The Proposal

Juushiro walks home from the academy, alone. Chances to see [Name] are few and far between because they are in different years. Their classes break for lunch at different times, they’re in different classes, and they’re even in different extracurriculars. Juushiro is in _kendo_ under Yamamoto Genryusai; [Name] went into things like _kido_ and archery among other activities.

[Name] grew up in Rukon, and in the upper-numbered districts to boot. While District 1 isn’t all that different from the Seireitei, it’s well known that anything beyond the fiftieth district is like a completely different world. Footwear isn’t a thing beyond the fifty-ninth district, according to some publications. To go from living barefoot in rags to studying at an upstanding academy in the Seireitei involves more than a little culture shock. There are a million activities [Name] probably never heard of that she’s now able to experience.

Seeing her in the halls before classes a couple of months ago was a miracle for them and he couldn’t help but say ‘hello’ to his friend. He hasn’t gotten to see her much since then, even at home. She’s been staying late after school for various activities, practicing _kido_, brushing up on history, getting some help with etiquette and literacy (as if she doesn’t get drilled and taught relentlessly at home). Juushiro’s starting to worry. For all that she is out of the house, she hasn’t once mentioned having any friends.

“Kyouraku?” Juushiro is surprised to sense his friend’s spirit energy at Ugendo.

It’s late. The rest of the family has since gone to bed and Juushiro had started giving up on seeing [Name] tonight. He thought she’d slink back to Ugendo in the dead of night after having exhausted herself practicing or doing whatever else. He was not expecting her to be back so late, and with Shunsui no less.

It’s not a happy meeting, it seems. Shunsui is carrying [Name] on his back.

“Ah, damn. He was awake.” Shunsui exclaims.

“What—what’s going on?” Juushiro raises an eyebrow, trying to piece together why his best friend and…dear friend…are together in Ugendo so late at night, on top of each other no less.

“I-It’s nothing, Juu-_chan_. Shun was just helping me get home, that’s all.”

“Are you alright?” It’s now that Juushiro notices the pained strain in [Name]’s voice. His eyes are drawn to a flicker of movement around her right foot, hanging limply off of Shunsui’s hip.

It’s blood.

Blood trickles from her sockless foot, dripping and making a quiet splattering sound on the grass. Her shoes and socks are nowhere to be seen. His eyes widen as he registers the blood.

“What happened? Why are you—”

“Shh! Ukitake, you’ll wake the household if you don’t lower your voice. Let me set [Name]-_chan_ down and we can talk while we see to her foot.”

Juushiro takes Shunsui’s suggestion and goes to fetch a first aid kit while Shunsui sets [Name] down on the veranda. He props her injured foot up onto his lap and inspects the wound.

“Shun! Your clothes will get stained!”

“You’re bleeding and you’re worried about my pants?” Shunsui flicks her on the forehead, but smiles to show that he’s only teasing. “It’s fine.”

Juushiro comes back in time to see the inspection and he’s quite shocked at what he sees.

A shard of glass is embedded into the underside of [Name]’s foot. It looks stuck pretty deep, considering it’s still dripping blood despite the shard still being in the wound. He sits behind the two on the veranda, gently tugging a towel under [Name]’s foot in Shunsui’s lap. He’s going to need new _hakama _for sure, considering this one has [Name]’s blood on it.

“What happened?” Juushiro inquires as he passes Shunsui a wet towel to clean off the area around the shard.

“I found her wandering the academy, barefoot, looking for something.” Shunsui supplies. That brings to mind multiple questions, but Juushiro decides to go for the most pressing one.

“That doesn’t explain the glass.”

“That happened on the way home. [Name] stepped on a shard of something and wound up like this. If she hadn’t been so stubborn,” Shunsui gives [Name] a pointed look. “and let me carry her from the start she wouldn’t have glass embedded in her foot.”

Shunsui sets aside the sullied towel, having finished cleaning the dirt and debris from around the wound. He gently pinches the shard between his thumb and forefinger, his left hand gripping [Name]s ankle. He gives her a look and upon receiving a slight nod from her he pulls out the shard of glass, causing her to wince. Juushiro hovers behind his friends, settling on holding [Name]’s leg still as Shunsui discards the bloody shard of glass. The brunette quickly wraps the towel under [Name]’s heel around her foot, applying pressure to the wound in hopes of staunching the bleeding.

“Why would you need to carry her? Where are her shoes?” Juushiro addresses his question to Shunsui after realizing that [Name] hasn’t been very forthcoming with answers.

“She didn’t have them.” Even Shunsui’s usual casual tone can’t mask the seriousness of those words.

“Why?” Juushiro fixes his gaze on [Name], demanding answers from her now. She flinches under his gaze and refuses to look him in the eye.

“I just misplaced them, that’s all.” He knows it’s a lie the moment she refuses to meet his gaze. A part of him is angry that his dear friend would hide something from him. He tries to quell his anger by directing his attention elsewhere.

Juushiro gets up.

“Where’re you going?” Shunsui calls.

“Getting [Name] a pair of shoes. We still have classes tomorrow.” Juushiro calls out stiffly as he turns the corner, intent on digging up an old pair of shoes from somewhere. He has seven siblings; even if they do the hand-me-down thing there’s going to be a spare pair of old shoes somewhere in Ugendo.

Shunsui smiles, realizing what his friend is doing. Juushiro always had a good head on his shoulders and a strong sense of discernment. No doubt he is angry at being lied to and decided to literally walk off his rage.

“You should tell him.” Shunsui murmurs to [Name] once he’s sure Juushiro is out of earshot. He checks on the wound, noting that the bleeding has lessened somewhat. When it stops, they can work on trying to stitch it and wrap it up.

“It’s not his problem.” [Name] spits through gritted teeth. She’s home and there’s nothing distracting her from the pain radiating from her foot.

“It was caused by him.”

“He didn’t shove broken glass into my foot. Juushiro didn’t do anything wrong. It’s not his problem; and it’s not mine either.” [Name] yelps as Shunsui presses his thumb against her foot through the towel. She meets his smug smile with a fierce glare.

“Really? This wound through your foot says otherwise.”

“They had nothing to do with glass on the path—”

“But they’re the reason you didn’t have any shoes with which to protect your feet. Ukitake’ll understand if you tell him. He’d fix this.” Shunsui dabs at the wound again, checking to make sure he didn’t cause it to bleed again.

“There’s nothing to fix. We didn’t do anything wrong. It’s the stupid social hierarchy and everyone getting so wrapped up in it.”

“They’re jealous. Ukitake could clear things up.”

“Their jealousy is their problem, not his.”

“So…what? You’re going to continue limping to school, coming home barefoot, and having your academic life sabotaged at every turn? It’s six years, [Name]. While trivial in the grand scheme of things, six years is a long time when you’re living through them.”

“I’ll…I’ll figure something out.” [Name] has visibly calmed down and Shunsui unwraps her foot, delighted to find that it’s stopped bleeding.

He grabs a needle and thread and begins to stitch up the wound, pausing whenever she flinches. The wound is stitched and bound in a roll of bandages Juushiro left before the man shows signs of returning.

“He’s probably still mad.”

“That’s not good. It’s not good to go to bed angry.”

“It’s not like anything we say will make him less angry,” [Name] scoots backward on the veranda, moving her leg off of Shunsui’s lap as she does so. “Sorry about your _hakama_, by the way. If you leave it here I can try to get the blood out.”

“Don’t worry about it. We could tell him the truth.”

“The truth will make him more angry—”

“But he won’t be angry at us.” Shunsui supplies. “He can make this problem go away.”

“He shouldn’t have to get involved. He shouldn’t have to deal with their petty jealousy and low-brow games.”

“Then…how about I get involved?”

“What could you possibly do in this situation?”

“Go out with me, [Name]-_chan_.”

Juushiro was walking back, a pair of his old shoes in hand. They’re old and worn, but he’s the only one that has shoes that fall within the realm of acceptability for the academy. His mother and Sen’s shoes are a bit too feminine and flashy for school, Eiji’s are way too worn out to be salvageable, _geta_ aren’t permitted, the Suke-trio’s shoes are all mismatched and much too big for [Name]’s small feet, and Hina and Hatori’s are much too small. The best he could find was an old, worn-out pair of his own shoes. They’ll probably be a couple of sizes too big for [Name], but they might work.

He was shocked when he slipped the towel under her foot earlier. Footwear isn’t a big thing in the upper districts of Rukon. [Name] grew up barefoot and running on dirt and pebbles. He expected the soles of her feet to be firm and calloused, but what he felt was anything but. She had smooth skin on her feet with barely any hints of her time in Rukon. Then again, his mother’s always been a stickler about skin-care; perhaps she had something to do with it.

“Go out with me, [Name]-_chan_.”

Juushiro freezes as he hears Shunsui say those words. He stops dead before he turns the corner. Eavesdropping is rude, he decides at the last minute. He turns around and decides he could replace the _hanao_ of the _zori_ sandals he’s brought for [Name]. The straps are worn and he wouldn’t want them snapping on her and causing her to sprain her foot. With that decided, he goes off in search of something to use as a replacement.


	3. The Answer

“I’m not in the mood for your games, Shunsui. I appreciate you getting me to Ugendo, and stitching me up, but I’m not going out with you as repayment.” [Name] growls.

“It’s not my game; it’s theirs. They’re jealous of what they think is going on between you and Ukitake. If we give them reason to believe they’re mistaken, all of this will blow over. The PJ Fanclub won’t be out for your blood anymore. No more sitting on tacks.”

[Name] sucks in her cheeks in frustration. It’s a physical tick she picked up from Lady Chiyo. Lady Ukitake doesn’t adhere to many of the traditions of nobility, but one thing she’s adamant about is that a lady remains calm at all times. You’re allowed to be angry, or happy, or sad—but a lady must never fly into a rage, yell at people, dance or squeal in happiness, or allow non-family members to see their tears. Lady Chiyo’s philosophy is that men are outwardly strong because they think they’re protecting their women and their families, but there’s another way to read the situation: the women and children (particularly the daughters) allow themselves to be protected to keep the men happy. A lady must remain calm, lest she provoke her husband or father into a jealous or overprotective rage. There’s power in having emotions, but showing them could be a double-edged sword.

He always suspected that [Name] wasn’t a typical ward of some noble family. Seeing Lady Chiyo’s mannerisms on [Name] prove it to Shunsui. A charity case wouldn’t need to learn how to behave like a noble. A simple ward wouldn’t dine with members of the family, much less spend enough time with them to adopt their mannerisms and quirks. There are always whispers of the Ukitake clan not falling into tradition. Shunsui heard enough of it from his own parents—stuck up nobles down to the last hairs on their heads. The way his parents and their peers talked about the Ukitake clan was what enticed him to befriend Juushiro. He had hoped that the gossip was true. He wanted to believe that there was a noble family out there that didn’t believe in the traditional hogwash. It seems the rumors are true.

“I know about the tacks, [Name]. And the misfired spells. And why you no longer have a bag to carry your school stuff in,” [Name] flinches as he lists that one out. “For all the times I hug you, did you really think I wouldn’t notice the pencil-case jabbing me from inside your uniform?”

“When did you become so observant?” [Name] quips. Her jibe doesn’t carry as much weight as it could. She knows she’s been found out and this is her weak ploy to get the attention off of herself.

“I’m always observant, [Name]. I notice things. I just choose not to comment on things that I deem not important.”

“And? Why break your silence now? You should have carried on feigning ignorance. If you act like you don’t notice, you won’t be expected to do anything. I know you don’t like responsibility--”

“I care about you! Yeah, I hate responsibility—but I also hate the fact that my friend is being hurt!”

“Did you happen to forget your own social standing? Getting together might solve one problem, but it’ll breed a million others. You’re a noble too.”

“I’m the second son, a spare heir; Ukitake’s first. If there are problems, we’ll deal with those as they come up--together.”

“The answer is ‘no’, Shunsui. I’m not going to pretend to date you just because a bunch of people I couldn’t care less about are mad over who I greet or am greeted by.”

“Then don’t ‘pretend’,” Shunsui smiles at her, leaning forward and hoping his sincerity comes through in his features. “I wasn’t offering just to quell their jealousy. If you want, [Name], I can be serious about you. Become my wife. We’ll do this thing for real.”

[Name] looks Shunsui straight in the eye. She takes a deep breath through her nose, trying to phrase what she wants carefully. There’s no trace of _sake _on his breath tonight. He’s sober—he’s as serious as he’s ever going to get. That makes this so much harder. Shunsui is a good friend, a friend she doesn’t want to offend by not taking him seriously. He’s a friend she doesn’t want to lose because of the actions of others, nor for her response.

“No, Shunsui. I appreciate the offer, both to fix things and that you’re serious.” [Name] takes a deep breath. “I don’t have feelings for anyone at the moment. I’m not going to date someone I don’t have genuine feelings for—not for this stupid social hierarchy, and not ever. You’re a good friend, Shun—and I love you for that—but that’s all we are now.”

“Damn. Now I really wish you had said ‘yes’. I seriously think I’m falling for you, [Name]-_chan_.”

“You and ‘serious’ are oxymorons, Shun.” [Name] smirks, gently but firmly punching Shunsui on the arm.

“Ouch.” Shunsui smiles next to his friend. They’re back to trading jibes and jokes—all is well.

“Doesn’t your house have a curfew?” [Name] comes to the realization as she notes how high the moon is in the sky.

“Aw, crap!” Shunsui curses, realizing how dark it is. It’s only now that he remembers he was scrambling to head home when he found [Name] looking for her shoes after school. He helped her search the grounds and they expanded their search to the most common routes leading away from the academy. They didn’t find her shoes and gave up when the last rays of the sun began to fade. Shunsui was adamant that he would walk her home after she had refused his offer of being carried. He had suggested that she wear his shoes, but she refused that too. In the end, he ended up carrying her anyway because of a shard of glass left on the path.

“You could stay over. Everyone would understand and the three of us will be heading to the academy early tomorrow morning anyway.”

“Are you sure they won’t mind?”

“Probably not. It’s my turn to cook breakfast tomorrow and only us three will be up at that hour to make it to school on time.” Shunsui’s eyes travel to her foot.

“You might need help with that.”

“Please.”


	4. A Conversation Between Friends

[Name] wakes the next morning to find a new (technically old) pair of _zori_ outside of her room. They’re probably Juushiro’s, she recalls how the other family members don’t exactly have regulation footwear.

The _hanao_ have been replaced with a few lengths of ribbon. [Name] smiles as she realizes that Juushiro must have re-done the shoes to accommodate her bandaged foot. He left more than enough ribbon to go around, so she ends up having to cross the ends a few times around her ankles before tying the excess into a bow at the top of her calf, just behind her knees. With that done, she heads off to the kitchens to prepare breakfast for the three of them, using the pillars along the veranda as a support.

In the end, she didn’t see Juushiro at all last night. After deciding that Shunsui would be staying over and joining them for breakfast, the brunette helped her to her room. Shunsui’s been here on enough sleep overs to know where the extra bedding is and he helped himself and set himself up in Juushiro’s room, as always.

Shunsui’s a fun-loving man, but he’s also a trustworthy one. He insisted that it was [Name]’s story to tell—trying to get _her_ to tell Juushiro what really happened—he’s not the kind of person to say too much or butt in when it’s not his place. And he did carry her back to Ugendo.

[Name] goes through the kitchen and begins to piece together what she’ll make for breakfast (and by extension, what she will pack for lunch). Juushiro eats everything, but he’s partial to sweet things. She feels bad for keeping things from him, so she decides she’ll make _ohagi_ for their lunches. Shunsui carried her back to Ugendo and ended up missing his curfew because he was bandaging her up. She decides that she’ll treat him to a traditional Japanese breakfast complete with a proper _miso_ and some grilled fish. Usually she skips out on the fish and just has vegetables as side-dishes. She’s not all that great with actual cooking, yet.

Back in Rukon they ate whatever they could find or steal. That usually meant grasses/herbs, bugs, and anything they could glean off the dirt roads. If they were feeling adventurous, they’d go to a river and try to snag some live fish, but they never really had anything in the way of seasoning if they managed to catch and cook the fish. Having an oven to bake food in was a mind-blowing experience when she first came to Ugendo. She still doesn’t understand how to gauge when food is properly cooked and tends to overcook things because she forgot them in the oven or placed them too close to the flame. In her opinion, it was easier to tell when something was cooked when she had to skewer it and hold it over the fire herself.

She manages to produce fish rather than charcoal this morning (thank goodness for small victories). Shunsui reaches for the soy sauce though, so she assumes she didn’t season it enough (again). The _miso_ soup is done pretty well, according to Juushiro. Juushiro clears his plate of the mixed veggies and _tamagoyaki _she threw together as a side-dish so she assumes it was cooked well enough. She made _tamagoyaki_ and some fried chicken for their lunches too, so she hopes they turned out well. She made one for Shunsui too.

After eating and washing up, the three grab their stuff to head to school. The other members of the family are just waking up and [Name] managed to explain breakfast to Sen before leaving so that the girl could dish up food for the late-risers.

Shunsui doesn’t even ask, he crouches before [Name] as they get their shoes on and the three are out the door, making a mad dash to the school, with [Name] on Shunsui’s back. He’s wearing Juushiro’s spare uniform. The uniforms are designed to be baggy so it’s not like their sizes are all that different. Shunsui fills out Juushiro’s clothes slightly more than the man himself, but it’s not too noticeable.

“So…I asked [Name]_-chan_ out last night.”

It’s lunch time for their class. Shunsui and Juushiro sit together, managing to be alone for once rather than surrounded by Juushiro’s friends and acquaintances. Shunsui notes the way Juushiro continues sipping his tea, calmly. He’s not reacting, so he must have heard. He wonders how much Juushiro heard.

“You know, I wouldn’t have had to if you’d have been more aware of yourself.”

“What are you talking about? You asked her out. You wanted to date her, didn’t you?” Juushiro angrily stabs at a piece of chicken with his chopsticks.

“I wouldn’t have had to be so forward about it if you had a clue.”

“A clue about what? You asked her out because you like her, right? You’re with her—I’m happy for you both!” Juushiro’s eyes widen as he hears his own raised voice. He shrinks in on himself, embarrassed at his outburst.

“You don’t sound happy,” Shunsui points out. “Be honest, Ukitake, what’s bothering you?”

Juushiro sighs. His friend’s always been able to read him like a book. Shunsui acts like he can’t read social situations and winds up the class-clown a lot; but people that take the time to get to know him soon realize all of that for what it is: an act. Shunsui’s more perceptive than people give him credit for and a lot of that is intentional. Shunsui doesn’t like responsibilities and he’s figured out that if he acts like a buffoon, people won’t see him as reliable or responsible and won’t ask him to do things. Sometimes he’s certain his friend is a genius…in all the ways that society doesn’t appreciate.

“How did [Name] really lose her shoes?” Juushiro decides to start off with questions he couldn’t get to last night.

“Someone took them when she was in the showers.” Shunsui supplies. He wasn’t there, but he knows enough about the situation to understand how it all went down.

“Why?”

“Wow—and everyone calls me the ‘dense’ one,” Shunsui smirks at Juushiro’s indignant glare. “Why else? They’re jealous.”

“Of [Name]? Why?” Juushiro catches himself. “N-Not that she doesn’t have admirable qualities.” He flushes as he realizes he’s making a bigger fool out of himself and clamps his mouth shut. Shunsui chuckles at his antics.

“Oh yes, she has many great qualities. She cooks, she looks out for people, and she refuses to take the easy road.”

“What ‘easy’ road?”

“Think, Ukitake.”

“So…you asked her out because people were jealous of her?” Juushiro slowly puts together the pieces, forming a picture in his mind he isn’t fond of. “They’re jealous because we talk to her, aren’t they? They’re jealous that a first-year from Rukon walks home with us.”

“Close enough.”

“That’s…that’s ridiculous. You asked her out because of petty jealousy?” Juushiro exclaims, incredulous. “Why go that far?”

[Name] was right, Juushiro is more emotionally charged now than when he felt like they weren’t telling him something. He was bothered by how things played out last night, and he may have been bothered by the fact that Shunsui asked [Name] out without mentioning it to him beforehand. They’re friends, they share things with each other, and what Shunsui did last night was a breech of their friendship.

When he noticed Lady Chiyo’s mannerisms in [Name] the night before, it was more proof of something he already knew: [Name] isn’t just a ward to the members of the Ukitake family. She’s another member of the family. What he did was a breech of their friendship because he basically asked out his best friend’s sister.

“To protect [Name]. You said it yourself, they’re jealous because we talk to her seemingly without reason. If she’s my girlfriend, then there isn’t a problem with her talking to us or walking home with us.”

“She had every right to all that before though.”

“Not according to your fanclub.” Shunsui snaps, realizing only after he spilled it that he probably shouldn’t have.

“My…” Juushiro’s expression morphs into one of horror. Shunsui sighs—the cat’s out of the bag now. “Wait…so this is my fault?”

“Not if you ask [Name].”

“So…y-you’re not actually dating her…right? It’s just to keep them from—no! That’s not right. You guys shouldn’t have to go out of your way for—for their petty jealousy.” Juushiro’s mad, but it’s not the sullen “I’m bothered” kind of anger that they saw last night. Shunsui enjoys his friend’s expressions for a moment before he lets himself laugh.

“Dang, the Ukitake-clan raises some smart people,” he claps a hand onto Juushiro’s shoulder, trying to reassure his friend. “[Name] said the exact same thing.” He smiles at his friend. “Talk to her. [Name]’s struggling on her own right now. She’s stuck in a situation because you were careless and greeted her without thinking about how it looked to the people around.”

“Aa. I think I will. What class are the first years in now?”

“Whoa, slow down. I didn’t mean talk to her now.”

“Then…when?”

“The weekend’s coming up. Ugendo’s not that big—surely you’ll see her at home.” Juushiro blushes, realizing the wisdom in Shunsui’s words. “She’s got a leg injury—she won’t be able to run from your questions.”

“That was a low-blow, Kyouraku. Don’t talk about your girlfriend that way.” Shunsui smirks at his comment.


	5. I'm Gonna Kill Him

“[Name]? Can we talk?” Juushiro approaches [Name]. She’s in the vegetable garden a little ways off from the kitchen. It looks like she’s harvesting some seasonal vegetables.

“Sure. What’s on your mind?” [Name] tosses the shears she was holding into the dirt, not having to watch to confirm that it has embedded itself in the soil-bed.

“Kyouraku told me everything.”

“Oh?” [Name]’s expression darkens. “What ‘everything’ did he tell you?”

Juushiro takes a deep breath, searching for the words he’s been rehearsing in his head ever since he figured out the truth.

“You shouldn’t have to do something you don’t want to just because of someone else’s petty jealousy.”

[Name] raises an eyebrow but says nothing.

“I…I heard that some people are giving you a hard time because we talk to you. I-I don’t know what I can do, but maybe we can work together to clear up misunderstandings. Maybe if I talked to these people, they’d stop targeting you—” Juushiro is stuttering, shocked at how the words tumble out of his mouth. These aren’t the words he wants to say though. It’s not the petty jealousy of faceless people he wants to talk about.

“Thanks for the offer, but this isn’t your responsibility.”

“He told me about the fanclub. I could help. I could talk to them.”

“Don’t go lecturing me on doing things I don’t want to because of petty jealousy and then suggesting that you do something in response to petty jealousy.” [Name] smirks at Juushiro, taking the edge off her admonishment.

“T-That’s not…i-it’s different. I-I just…I wanted to be sure that my friends were getting together for the right reasons.” Juushiro tugs at the back of his short hair, sheepish. He averts his gaze, not wanting to see [Name]’s expression.

“Together? Shun told you I agreed to go out with him?”

“Ah…yeah. Congratulations, by the way, I’m happy for you bo—”

“I’m gonna kill him.”

“Eh?” Juushiro finally looks at [Name] after sensing something completely different than what he expected.

He expected her to be bashful or to gush about Shunsui. Instead, he senses a murderous aura from [Name]. He knows that [Name] has learned to school her expressions of emotions from his mother. He knows how fearsome his mother is when she upholds the façade of a calm noble-woman when she’s angry. He sees the same fearsome quality in [Name] right now and it makes him feel very small. He’s reminded of the time he had a coughing fit during some gathering of nobles.

He was a child, no older than five years old. He was attending the gathering with his parents, being the first-born son of the Ukitake clan and all. He remembers being nervous. Even a child wasn’t free from behavioral expectations at those events. He was so nervous the night before the event that he hadn’t slept well and had spent the night outside, stargazing. He ended up catching a chill. He remembers his mother being eerily calm as she talked with the other nobles about him and his condition. He remembers his mother’s schooled smile as she seethed, angry at the whispers about her coughing son. He remembers being terrified of his mother that night, and her ire wasn’t even directed at him. [Name] has the same quality about her in this moment and, much like that night when he was five, Juushiro thanks all the higher powers that be that he is not the object of her rage.

Juushiro is faster to the punch this time, his brows drawing together in a frown when he realizes he’s been had.

“Not if I get to him first. Damnit, Kyouraku!”

A chill runs up Shunsui’s spine as he lazes about at home, reading a book.

There’s an oxymoron. The maids of the Kyouraku house would swear by their paychecks that they never saw the young master with his nose in a book. Maybe manga or an adult magazine, but an actual book filled with words, rather than pictures—definitely not. If it weren’t for his parents ordering the hired help to do it, Shunsui probably wouldn’t even own any of the textbooks required for his courses.

Everyone knows the young master would be perfectly content living as a hermit in the wilderness, or as a homeless traveler. Shunsui has always been a free-spirit, more interested in living on instinct and enjoying living than rules and acceptable behaviors. A life of stuffy nobility doesn’t suit him, but that’s the hand that he has been dealt. A small handful of the hired help supports the young master. They believe that he is a man who will change the traditional, unchanging, rigid structure of life within the whole of Soul Society someday. If he ever manages to apply himself enough to earn a high enough position, they are sure Shunsui will change Soul Society for the better. He’s the type to see people, rather than tradition or upbringing. Soul Society needs more people like him.

_AH-CHOO! AH—CHOO!_

Shunsui sneezes twice. He wonders who is speaking ill of him. He’s lying on the veranda at his home, flipping through a book as he hatches his plan B.


	6. Shunsui's Plan

“Good morning, Ukitake!” Shunsui greets his friend with a hug. “Thanks for letting me borrow a spare uniform the other day.” He releases his friend from the embrace, but keeps his arm slung around Juushiro’s shoulders.

“Ah…no worries. It’s not like you could have gone out with yours stained the way it was.”

They stand amongst their peers, waiting for lecture to begin. They’re chatting about something to do with school. Shunsui throws in a quip when appropriate, but his attention isn’t on the conversation. He’s waiting for something even as he stands among friends shooting the breeze with his arm casually over his friend’s much smaller shoulders.

When it comes time to sit in the auditorium, Shunsui ensures he gets a spot beside Juushiro. If he’s sitting closer than he needs to nobody comments on it. He’s close enough that if he were to spread his legs a little he’d end up brushing against Juushiro’s knee.

“Kyouraku?”

“Sorry, I missed what he said. Just let me copy this one line.” Shunsui lies easily as Juushiro appears ready to comment on his proximity. The matter is forgotten and the two of them continue to take notes.

The day continues like this. Shunsui ensures he’s constantly in close proximity to his friend…more than usual, that is. He remains close enough to feel Juushiro’s sleeve brush across his wrist when either of them moves, enough to bump knees when sitting down, enough to clap a hand onto Juushiro’s shoulder during conversations. On top of all that he’s constantly wrapping his arms around Juushiro in greeting and parting. To everyone but him, all of this is casual.

Thank goodness nobody has ever bothered to wonder what he’s thinking. Thank goodness for their years of friendship otherwise Juushiro would have suspected his motives by now. Shunsui continues on, casually making physical contact with Juushiro throughout the day. He wonders how long he’ll have to keep this up for his plan to move along. He hopes Juushiro won’t get suspicious before his plan is complete.

He steps up his game during free-period a couple of days later.

“Oi, Ukitake, do you understand this passage?”

“Kyouraku? What is it now?” Juushiro bends over his friend’s desk, trying to look at the passage that Shunsui claims to be having trouble with. “Wha?” Juushiro’s mind goes blank as he is literally swept off his feet and deposited into the lap of his best friend. “Kyouraku?”

“It’s this one here, see?” Shunsui ignores his inquiries and directs attention back onto the page of the textbook, pointing out a particularly tricky phrase.

Juushiro huffs, a few strands of his bangs flying up from the action. He decides not to pursue the issue with Shunsui. He doesn’t want to spend hours listening to his latest heartbreak or a girl he’s pining over.

“Oh, this one? This one means…” Juushiro explains the phrasing to his friend, forgetting about the position Shunsui put them in.

“Careful, guys. Keep up things like this and people are going to think you’re a couple.” One of their friends teases as their peers gather around the desk the two occupy.

“Keep what up? It’s just Kyouraku’s usual antics.” Juushiro waves off the comment.

“Yeah…his antics…for girls. I hate to break it to you, Kyou, but Ukitake’s not going to sprout breasts no matter how much you hug him.” Jiro chides the two.

“I don’t know, he’s skinny and he’s got light skin. If he had long hair…well…” Youji murmurs.

Shunsui smirks and winds his arms around Juushiro’s lap.

“Oh? You noticed all that, Youji? Sorry, but Ukitake’s mine and I’d appreciate it if you didn’t go eying him up. See this? He’s all mine. Go find your own lap-warmer.”

“A lap-warmer, am I?” Juushiro teases. “I thought your lap was reserved only for beautiful girls.”

“One out of two ain’t bad, Handsome.” Shunsui jokes, using his newfound nickname for his best friend. He rests his cheek on Juushiro’s shoulders. “Although I do have to admit that this feels different.”

“How so?”

“I’m going to have to get used to having such a boney ass on my lap.”

A chorus of laughter erupts as Juushiro swats at Shunsui for that comment.

The free-period stunt must have done it. By the end of the day Shunsui hears whispers about him and Juushiro, particularly about the day he came to school wearing Juushiro’s spare uniform. His plan is moving along. Now he just has to cultivate it carefully for it to bear fruit.

It’s lunch the next day when Shunsui decides to delve deeper into his plan. He’s sitting with Juushiro and their peers, including Jiro and Youji. Shunsui managed to get the cooks to make _ohagi_ to include in his lunch and with it he’s going to further his plan.

“Hey, Ukitake, you like _ohagi_, right? The cooks decided to pack some in my lunch today, want some?” Shunsui offers, knowing that his friend won’t be able to refuse.

“Sure.”

Juushiro reaches out his hand to take the offered food but his wrist is gently weighed down by a hand as Shunsui brings the sweet to his lips and feeds it to him.

“No point in both of us getting our hands sticky.” Shunsui mutters to his friend. Juushiro nods, accepting the sweet and his friend’s logic. He doesn’t even notice that Shunsui’s hand on his wrist hasn’t moved.

“Is that _anmitsu?_” Shunsui points out Juushiro’s dessert to which he nods. Without prompting, Juushiro offers a bite to Shunsui.

“Whoa! You didn’t even use the back of the chopsticks.” Jiro mutters as Juushiro blushes. Shunsui smiles and pulls Juushiro into a hug.

“Don’t need to. We’re buddies!” Shunsui’s comment earns a few laughs and soon the topic of conversation shifts.

By the end of a week, Shunsui’s plan is in full swing. The rumor mill is a fickle weapon with no loyalties to a single master. Stand at the top of the mill today and be dumped on your ass tomorrow when people gossip about you. He’s never really liked gossip or paid much attention to it, but for the sake of his friends he’s willing to get his hands a little dirty. It’s poetic justice in his mind.

Rumors were what caused his friend to be hurt. Rumors are what motivated people to steal [Name]’s shoes, put tacks on her chair as she sat down, and various other acts of petty jealousy. [Name] has been enduring it for a while now, all because of rumors that started based on the fact that Juushiro greeted her one morning. Shunsui’s watched it all play out and he decided he was going to fix it. He was going to get the rumor mill turning until his friends were back at the top or at least not being ground under it.

He’s managed to get the mill turning by the end of a week. It’s running pretty smoothly at the end of two weeks, to the point that Juushiro is definitely growing suspicious.

“You trust me don’t you, Ukitake?” Is his answer when curiosity wins out close to the end of the second week and Juushiro brings up the increased displays of affection.

Juushiro realizes he’s not likely to get more of an answer than that. Shunsui didn’t brush him off or try to dodge the issue, and his cryptic response is pretty telling. Juushiro understands that Shunsui is plotting something and he decides that he will go along with it because Shunsui is right: he does trust his friend. Shunsui isn’t the type to have bad motivations. Shunsui is laid-back, he wouldn’t be plotting something unless it was important. He wouldn’t put effort into something that didn’t matter.

He decided not to get involved with [Name] during school hours, but they have been seen walking home together—something Juushiro refuses to relent on. Rather than seeking her out to walk home together, they’ve decided to meet up at the school gates to head home together. They both have after-school activities so the courtyard and gates are usually devoid of people when they meet up. Someone has seen them though and Juushiro knows that they’re making [Name]’s life difficult for it. Unfortunately, Juushiro hasn’t figured out the exact culprits and [Name] remains tight-lipped about the issue. Her explanations and excuses are running thin and even his siblings are starting to suspect something is wrong. There’s only so many times [Name] can blame a wayward spell or tripping over some stairs.

If it were just elitism at work it’d be an easier fix, but now it’s petty jealousy she has to deal with too. Juushiro is afraid. He’s afraid at some point [Name] will decide that it’s not worth it, quit, and go back to Sakahone. That’s the best-case scenario he thinks about—that she’ll simply choose to walk away rather than be chased out or carried out on a stretcher (hopefully not with a cloth over her face). Some of the pranks are a little too dangerous to be called pranks—like the one that cost her about ten inches of hair or all the ones that have left her skin crossed with scars and burns.

Juushiro wants to help, but [Name] isn’t letting him and he doesn’t know how. He understands that she has her pride; she’s never been one to go crying to someone else to fix her problems for her, not unless she’s exhausted herself doing everything in her power to try to fix it herself. It’s his personal philosophy not to get involved in things to do with pride and honor—not unless they ask. It would be so much easier if the enemy was a Hollow or some serial bully—unmotivated attacks against [Name]’s life would be much easier to deal with. He’d simply step up and take out the threat if [Name] couldn’t do it herself. The problem is that there are clear motivations for these attacks and the perpetrators aren’t always clear to see.

Both of his friends are involved in something, probably the same something, and he hasn’t been invited to join them. As painful as it is, he decides he will wait. He will wait for them to bring him into the fold when they need him. He’ll wait and let them do what they need to do and be there to pick them up if their plans go astray.

Shunsui’s plan finally bears fruit around the end of the third week. He’s shocked himself; even he didn’t think he had it in him to stay motivated for a singular goal for so long.

The fruit comes in the form of an anonymous letter left in his shoe cubby. He recognizes the handwriting and initially thinks it’s another love-confession intended for Juushiro accidentally shoved into the wrong cubby. The pink envelope has his name on it though, and the contents are indeed addressed to him.

_‘Kyouraku Shunsui-_senpai_,_

_I have something I want to tell you. Please come to the fourteenth tree to the right of the gates after classes today. I will be waiting.’_

The letter isn’t signed or anything. On the surface it looks like the beginnings of a love-confession like something out of a novel. Shunsui is more perceptive than that. He recognizes the handwriting. He saw the same writing and the same stationary in Juushiro’s cubby once before a while back. That’s why he thought it had to be for his friend. He grins as he puts the letter away.

He doesn’t think for a second that he’s managed to steal a fan from Juushiro. This is proof that his plan is starting to bear fruit. He’s managed to smoke out at least one of the girls from The PJ fanclub and they’re demanding an audience. He’s only too happy to oblige. The last three weeks have all been for this purpose.


	7. The Confession

After classes let out, Shunsui makes up a reason why he has to head home rather than stay behind for extracurriculars. He claims his mother asked him to pick up something before shops close and thus he has to skip out. The fact that Juushiro and [Name] have extracurriculars is a blessing though. The three of them usually take a left at the gates to head home and he was summoned to go right. He knows that he’ll have a guaranteed hour and a half to settle things. Juushiro and [Name] usually end up staying late anyway, but he doesn’t want to risk them finding out about the meeting or his plans if they decide to head home early today.

He heads to the fourteenth tree, as dictated by the letter, after ensuring that he is not being followed. The one(s) he is meeting are already there.

“My my, three of you? I was expecting some alone-time with the one that wanted to confess their feelings to me. Well, if all three of you feel that strongly we’re going to need a bigger bed to accommodate all four of us.” Shunsui jokes, knowing that it’ll aggravate the girls present. He wants to speed things up and not let them dance around the issue. He’s on a time-limit right now—he doesn’t want anyone to see him meeting up with the girls and having Juushiro or [Name] hear about what happened.

“Cut the crap, you know that’s not why we’re here.” The tallest girl sneers as she steps forward. Her long, loose dark hair sways as she comes forward and stands, facing him. Two other girls flank her and all three glare at him. “I’m Nakawa Marin.”

“Let’s hear it, then. If it’s not a love-confession we’re here for, then you’d better make it worth my time, Marin-_chan_.”

Shunsui’s use of the friendly honorific is not spoken with his usual tone. His usual usage is friendly and endearing, a show of him trying to get chummy with the ladies. This time it’s spoken in a demeaning manner. He also deliberately stopped himself from introducing himself in kind. These people hurt his friends and he’s not going to pay them even the base-level of respect that is expected in society. They don’t deserve it, not in his mind.

“Stop being so familiar with Pri—Ukitake Juushiro! You’re a bad influence! Stop corrupting our Pri—Ukitake-_senpai_ with your presence!” The girl to the right of Marin speaks up.

“A bad influence? Me?” Shunsui laughs, deciding to toy with them.

“Yes! You’re an unmotivated slacker and a leech! You’re nothing like Ukitake-_senpai_. He doesn’t want to be friends with you so back off and stop getting so damned handsy with him!”

“Did Juushiro tell you that?” Shunsui grins as the girls flinch at his use of his friend’s given name.

“What?”

“Did he tell you that he doesn’t want to be friends with me?”

“W-Well, no…b-but—He’s just being nice. Ukitake-_senpai_ is just too nice to tell you off! You’re nothing alike and you have no right to be so friendly with him!”

“Have any of you ever spoken with Juushiro?” He pauses to bask in their expressions. “No, you haven’t. You don’t know what Juushiro thinks or feels. Don’t go putting words in his mouth, it’s unbecoming.”

“So is having your arm around his neck! It’s disgusting! Ukitake-_senpai_ isn’t like you. He isn’t a skirt-chaser like you are so back off! Stop corrupting him!”

“Skirt-chaser? Wow, so it’s working.”

“What is?”

“You all thinking that I’m a skirt-chaser.”

“Yeah! You’ll feel up anything with breasts. We simply ask that you stop involving yourself with Princ—Ukitake-_senpai_!”

“Damn. I should probably cut back on the act a little. I mean, I started it to get that sort of reputation, but at this rate that ‘skirt-chaser’ reputation might reflect badly on me.”

“What do you mean ‘that sort of reputation’?” Shunsui’s smile widens. They took the bait.

“Exactly what it sounds like. We all know how insidious the rumor mill can be. Rumors can make or break someone’s life chances. If a bad rumor starts about you in the academy you could find your application rejected even if you pass the entrance exams to the _Gotei_.”

“And what rumors are you trying to avoid?” Marin sneers and Shunsui smiles.

“Why, that I’m in love with my dear friend, Juu-_chan_.”

A crow caws somewhere in the distance, filling the silence that can be counted in heartbeats as the girls of the PJ fanclub process this new tidbit of information.

“What?”

“You heard me. You said I’m nothing like Juushiro. Have you heard of the phrase ‘opposites attract’? It’s true. I love him.” Shunsui smiles to himself, trying his best to sell the act.

“Y-You’re lying! You’re the biggest flirt and womanizer in the academy!”

“A ruse.”

“D-Don’t drag Ukitake-_senpai_ into your stupid jokes!”

“It’s not a joke, and he’s already involved. With me, that is.” Shunsui smirks, seeing the girls cringe.

“Lies.”

“I’m not lying. Think back to three weeks ago. I came to school wearing Juu’s uniform, didn’t I?” The girls have turned pale and Shunsui has to fight to keep himself from bursting out laughing. “We’ve been together for some time now, but like I said before: the rumor mill is pretty harsh. Our sort of lifestyle isn’t exactly approved-of, so we’ve been trying to keep it on the down-low. Some of the people accepting applications from those that pass the entrance exam might not take too kindly to a pair of same-sex lovers applying to the _Gotei_.”

“L-Lovers?”

Shunsui bites his tongue as he smiles wider, trying to keep his laughter from ruining his plan. “Yup. We’re usually really careful when we spend time together. That time…well, it was supposed to be a tame study session. We didn’t plan on doing…well, you know. His parents and siblings had gone out to visit relatives spur of the moment. We found ourselves alone and decided to indulge in each other.” Shunsui fixes his gaze just above Marin’s head and pretends to reminisce. “He was so cute, falling asleep in my arms. You all go on about how dreamy he is at the academy and how he makes your hearts beat faster,” he smirks at the girls. “If you saw him the way I got to see him that night your hearts would stop—dead.” He delights in the blushes on the faces of the girls right now. Whether it’s rage or embarrassment coloring them, the sight is amusing. “My uniform got pretty dirty and since we hadn’t planned on indulging as we had that night, I didn’t bring any of my own clothes to change into for school the next day. Juu lent me his spare and we came to school together.”

“Hmph. W-We have you now! All we have to do is spread the rumor then—that Kyouraku Shunsui is gay and his skirt-chasing is a total ruse. It’s not the _Gotei_ you have to worry about—your entire career would end if you got kicked out of the academy or disowned, wouldn’t it?” Marin sneers again.

“You really are dense, aren’t you?” Shunsui quips, a smirk growing on his features at the indignant look on Marin’s face at being called names. “I’m only sharing this much detail because I know you can’t spread the information.”

“Oh? And why not?”

“You won’t out me because your dear ‘Prince’ would get caught in the crossfire.” He schools his expression to a serious one. He’ll need to sell this one if he wants to ensure Juushiro doesn’t get any blowback from his lies. “If I got disowned or expelled, Juu would speak up for me and the truth would come out. Juu is honest. It’s one of the many traits about him I love while also being his worst quality. His honesty is going to come back to bite him in his glorious, pasty ass one day. He’d be expelled from the Academy, or rejected by the _Gotei_ for outing himself to defend me—and he’d do it, gladly. That’s just the kind of man he is.”

Marin and her little gang realize they’ve been had. They pieced together the story for themselves as Shunsui was speaking and came to the same conclusions. They have no moves. Shunsui has a reputation for being a womanizer. If a new rumor about him being gay were to start (without dragging Juushiro’s name into it) he could simply ‘prove’ himself a womanizer and people would believe that rumor because it’s more likely than him being gay. If they push the rumor, the chance of Juushiro being dragged into it would soar and that’s something none of them want.

“W-Well…t-then…I-If you’re really the Prince’s…If Ukitake Juushiro really is into _that_ sort of thing h-how do you explain [Name]? Your story is full of holes, Kyouraku Shunsui!” Marin’s smirk is back on her lips as she believes she’s found the thread that will unravel Shunsui’s lie.

Shunsui was prepared for this. The girls were originally targeting [Name], it’s why he’s been careful to be overly affectionate with Juushiro these last few days. The book he was reading weeks ago helped him prepare for such questions. The fanclub got up in arms over Juushiro greeting [Name] one morning, jealous over the fact that someone got close to their Prince. Shunsui deliberately orchestrated events so that their ire would be directed at him enough to gain an audience with them. He had hoped that his actions would make [Name] less of a target, but her missing school supplies have proven that not to be the case.

“I suppose you wouldn’t have heard of it. [Name]-_chan_ is what we call a ‘beard’.” Shunsui thanks the powers that be that nobody has walked by yet. The one truth he’s told these girls is that he doesn’t want the rumor of him and Juushiro being lovers to get around. He wants to stop their acts of jealousy toward [Name], not start a new rumor about him and Juushiro being homosexual lovers. “She knows about us. We had to tell her because we needed her help.”

“Help with what?”

“A disguise, if you will. It’d be odd if Juushiro didn’t have a girlfriend at his age. His relatives have been harping on it for years and tongues are wagging among the nobility about whom he will take as a wife. Arranged unions are common amongst the noble houses. [Name]-_chan_ hangs around with us to keep the arranged marriage proposals to a minimum. There’s only so many Juu can turn down before unwanted questions follow.” Shunsui finishes his well-rehearsed explanation. He delved into research on homosexuality to ensure he got some terms right and could weave a convincing story. “[Name]-_chan_ supports us and is helping to keep our secret. She cares about Juu just as much as you and I do. Nobody wants to see Juu’s reputation dragged through the mud. Nobody that currently knows about us wants to spill the beans. I’m letting you know all this because I know you feel the same way.” Shunsui takes a breath, letting the girls process the information. “That being said, I want you all to stop your acts of petty jealousy against [Name]-_chan_.”

“Wha?”

“Members of your fanclub have been attacking [Name]-_chan_ ever since Juu greeted her. She’s a dear friend helping us out of the goodness of her heart, and I don’t want to see her hurt for protecting Juu.” He pauses, gauging their reactions. He was right, they are aware of the actions of the fanclub if they aren’t the ones committing the acts.

“Juu’s really upset that [Name]-_chan_ has been hurt. She never tells him the truth, but Juu isn’t dumb. Having her hair singed by a wayward _kido_ can be written off as an accident, but having her shoes and uniform stolen out of her locker while she’s in the showers is a different story.” He notes from their expressions that they know about the shoe incident.

“W-Why _her_?” One of the other girls spits it out. “What’s so special about _her?_”

Shunsui shrugs. “I honestly don’t know. [Name] and Juushiro were childhood friends or something. They knew each other before I came into the picture.”

“W-Well…h-has…has the Prince ever tried…not being gay?” The shorter girl speaks up again.

“I never said he was.” Shunsui smiles. “Sexuality isn’t something easy to define, label, or understand. All we know is that we enjoy what we do together. We’re not trying to make some bold statement or fight oppression or whatever—we just want to enjoy our time together.” Once again, he schools his features into a stern expression. “We haven’t been able to do that lately. Juu made a bold suggestion to me a few days ago. He’s considering coming out because he doesn’t want to see [Name]-_chan_ hurt for our ruse anymore. He asked me if I’d be willing to go with him if he ends up being disowned and expelled for coming out. We’d be ousted from the academy—socially, if not officially. Our families would disown us. We’d have to leave the Seireitei. You all know that Juu’s not in the best of health; doctors are hard to come by in Rukon.”

“W-We’ve heard enough. You’ve bought our silence, Kyouraku Shunsui.” Marin concedes, sounding defeated.

“And?”

“You have my word, our fanclub will cease our actions against [Name].”

“I’ll hold you to that, Marin-_chan_.” Shunsui turns to walk home. “By the way,” he pauses. “I’m sure this goes without saying, but what I told you needs to stay between the four of us. You all know what would happen to Juu if any of this slipped out. Secrets are safest when few people know. Make something up if you have to, but leave our relationship out of it. I don’t mind if you continue to fawn over and support my dearest Juu-_chan_, but if whispers and awkwardness start to surround us then Juu is likely to say ‘fuck it’ and out us both. He’s pretty skittish and he doesn’t like lying—even by omission. I don’t want rumors and whispers to make him any more anxious about all of this than he already is. It’s bad for his heath.”

“W-We understand.”


	8. Epilogue

The change takes effect a few days after the meeting. [Name]’s smile is no longer forced and the false, cheery act she used to put on during their walks home slowly becomes genuine joy. Weeks pass and she comes in with fewer scars littering her skin. She stops wincing and flinching as much whenever Shunsui manages to catch her in a hug, a sign that her unseen bruises are starting to heal.

“Right, I made some friends! Reika and Sakura. They’re in my classes and…”

Shunsui smiles as he watches his friends. [Name] is regaling Juushiro with tales of her day. Lately, she’d been letting them do the talking. Shunsui usually dominates their after-school chats, but he’s more than happy to take a back-seat to [Name] today. When she first started at the Academy her tales were full of awe as she asked about things in the Academy she was unfamiliar with—particularly extracurricular events she was free to take part in. It was either that or asking about literature—something she didn’t have back in Rukon. They’ve both missed her voice.

As they walk, Shunsui notices something odd around [Name]’s ankles.

“[Name]-_chan_…why is there ribbon around your feet?”

[Name] and Juushiro stop and look down at what Shunsui pointed out.

“O-oh…t-these? They’re the shoes Juushiro found for me weeks ago.” Shunsui quirks an eyebrow.

“You still haven’t gotten her new shoes?” He accuses his friend.

“Aa…I guess we forgot. [Name], this weekend we could ask Mother and F—”

“I-It’s fine! I like these shoes. You don’t need to spend money on me.”

“[Name], they’re worn out. I wore those in my first year at the Academy and Eiji did a number on them too. By the time he was finished with them, to call the soles ‘worn out’ would be a huge understatement. They can’t be comfortable.”

Shunsui’s eyes widen. “Eiji had those? Didn’t he used to brag about wearing a hole through a pair of shoes before?”

“More than just ‘a pair’…and yes.”

“[Name], don’t you dare pretend you can’t feel the ground through those shoes!”

“T-They’re not that bad! Eiji didn’t have these ones long enough to wear them down that much.” [Name] hurriedly explains and Shunsui looks to Juushiro for confirmation.

“You’re going to need new shoes eventually, [Name]. Your own feet are going to grow eventually.”

“T-Then…at least let me wear them for the rest of the year. T-They got you through your first year, s-so…maybe they’ll get me through mine.” [Name] can’t hide the blush on her cheeks as she says this and the two smile at her. Juushiro ruffles her hair.

“Alright.”

Juushiro continues to walk, assuming the two will follow. Shunsui moves to follow but he’s stopped by a tug on his sleeve as he passes [Name]. He tries to turn around, but a set of arms wraps around his waist and arms, preventing him from moving any more.

“Thanks, Shun.”

“For what? I didn’t do anything. Those are Ukitake’s shoes and I’m not paying Reika and Sakura—I don’t know them! I haven’t bedded them—I swear!”

“Don’t play dumb, Shun. You’re smarter than that.”

“I thought me and ‘smart’ were oxymorons.”

“No, I said you and ‘serious’ were oxymorons. And I know you’re playing dumb.”

“How so?”

“You don’t bother remembering the names of anyone you flirt with—so you didn’t flirt with ‘Reika’ and ‘Sakura’. It’s a bad habit. You should fix that or the pretty girls you’re into won’t want anything to do with you.”

“Oh? So, if I remember their name I get a date, [Name]-_chan_?”

“Nope.” [Name] flicks his forehead. “But really, Shun, thank you. I know you did something—even if you won’t admit it.”

“How about a date as thanks—” Shunsui is cut off by an elbow to his stomach as [Name] strides passed him, shoving a book into his chest as she does so.

“A date? I don’t think so. I wouldn’t want to make Juu-_chan _jealous.” [Name] turns to smirk at Shunsui. “I won’t go out with you for this, but if your family finds out what you’re into, I guess I could find you a ‘beard’.” [Name] quips with a smirk.

Shunsui glances at the book [Name] shoved at him and goes pale. She figured him out. It’s the book he studied to set up his plan. Realization dawns on him as he remembers that [Name] often does library-duty at the academy. She volunteers at the library as one of her extracurriculars to get some practice with _kanji_ recognition.

“What’s this about beards? Kyouraku, are you trying to aggravate your folks again? You know how they feel about facial hair.” Juushiro stopped and turned around when he realized his friends had stopped walking.

“W-Wait! I-I-It’s not what you think—both of you!”

Juushiro quirks an eyebrow, confusion clear on his face. [Name] giggles. Juushiro’s curious and confused expression is adorable. She skips ahead and calls out over her shoulder.

“We’ve got a couple of hours before Shun’s curfew. If you guys wanna help me with some readings, I’ll let you both have a taste of a new dessert I’m trying to perfect.”

They hurry to catch up with [Name]. The promise of sweets is enough of a pull-factor to make them forget about the awkward conversation. Shunsui slipped the book into his bag before Juushiro caught a glimpse of it. He’ll return it to the library soon enough and he hopes he can erase his name on the sign-out card. He should have destroyed the card when he returned the book to cover his tracks. He only hopes that [Name] was the only other person to see his name on that accursed card. The last thing he wants is one of the teachers or another adult to find it and think weird things of him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’ll be honest, I wrote this installment around the time I posted “Old Threads” and it’s been sitting in my “Editing Phase” folder since then. This installment was the reason I started thinking about chaptering installments initially. I looked at the bottom of my window during one of my passes through (for editing) and saw “Page 5 of 21” blinking at me. If only University papers were as fun to write as fanfiction is—my degree would have been so much more enjoyable. 
> 
> Writing this installment was actually what inspired a scene in “Sprained Reflections”. The way that [Name] ties her shoes with ribbon wound around her ankles started here—when Juushiro re-fitted an old pair of shoes with ribbon for her.
> 
> Also, I apologize for the uneven chapter lengths. I know that I initially said I’d try to keep chapters at 2000-3000 words and some of these chapters as I edit are looking to fall short of 1000. There are certain places I want to put the chapter cut-offs when I write because it’s kind of dramatic to have the reader reach the bottom of the page and have to click to read more—sort of like how T.V. shows will cut to commercial after something dramatic. The uneven pacing (in terms of length) of some of these chapters is a big reason why I didn’t post this installment until now, despite working on it since “Old Threads” 
> 
> Lastly, and most importantly, I want to express that I mean no offense if I got some terminology wrong or if it looks like I’m making light of homosexuality or sexuality in general. That’s not my intention and I honestly wasn’t trying to make light of a serious topic. Shunsui’s line about how sexuality isn’t easily defined is basically my view on things. Sexuality and sexual attraction are things I have very little personal experience with and it’s something I don’t experience or struggle with on a personal level in day-to-day life. I’ve been told that this makes me some form of asexual and literature on gray-ace seems to resonate with me. So if I portrayed something wrong or in an offensive way please know it was unintentional and I will do my best to correct the thing should it come up. 
> 
> Life is getting fairly hectic for me, and I'm into a bunch of other series at the moment. I still have a few installments in varying stages of completion as well as a bunch of prompts for this series that I really want to write, so this isn't the end. I may not post as frequently as I have been though. 
> 
> Thank you for reading this monster of an installment. As always, comments, kudos, and whatever other sort of reader-author-interaction are always appreciated. I hope you’re all enjoying this series. Hope to see the lovely hit-counts and usernames all in the next one, whatever/whenever that may be.


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